International Comfort Foods We Want Delivered To The US, Ranked

Eaten as a snack or for breakfast, pao de queijo is bread that incorporates one or more types of cheese. The bread is made with tapioca flour, making it naturally gluten free, and integrates milk, eggs, and oil or butter for a savory treat.

The origins of Brazilian cheese bread and the type of flour used to make it are linked. Because enslaved individuals from Africa did not have access to wheat, they ground cassava root (called yuca or manioc) instead. They didn't have milk or cheese, however, and that component was introduced during the late 19th century.

While no one part of the world has exclusivity when it comes to enjoying egg noodles as comfort food, the Swabian region of Germany had laid claim to spätzle. 

Spätzle noodles are dumpling-like noodles and the term literally means “little sparrow.” In contrast, the closely related dish knöpfle refers to egg noodles that are button-shaped because that's what the word means.

Spätzle can be eaten alongside meat dishes, with butter or sauce, or function as a main ingredient in a dish.

Enjoyed in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, aloo paratha combines bread, potatoes, and spices into a food that is usually eaten for breakfast. The aloo paratha originated in Northern India and blends traditional Indian cuisine with potatoes introduced from the New World.

Aloo paratha is essentially flatbread stuffed with seasoned mashed potatoes. To make flatbread (paratha), one combines flour, salt, oil, and water into dough. While the dough sits, boiled potatoes, chili pepper, chili powder, salt, and additional spices to taste are blended.

The dough is then divided into parts, rolled out, and stuffed with the potato mixture (aloo). The paratha is then sealed and cooked on a skillet. 

If a casserole of any kind is the ideal comfort food, the French version called tartiflette fits the bill. Made with potatoes, bacon, Reblochon cheese, onions, and wine, tartiflette can be traced to the early 18th century. 

As a dish that originated in the French alpine region of Savoy, tartiflette draws heavily on the Reblochon cheese (also from Savoy) for flavor. Reblochon is an unpasteurized soft cheese made from cow's milk that developed, in part, as a way to avoid paying taxes. 

As the story goes, dairy farmers would only partially fill pails on the day they were collected on behalf of their lords. They then went back and did a second milking which resulted in a much richer milk that was perfect for making cheese. 

Poutine has just three main ingredients but is one of the most identifiable Canadian foods. Made with potatoes, cheese, and gravy, poutine first appeared in Quebec during the 1950s and developed over time. 

By some tellings, cheese curds and French fries were first combined by restaurant owner Fernand Lechance. Because that combination got cold, gravy was poured over top to keep it hot. In another version, Jean-Paul Roy was said to have come up with a version of the dish, but cheese curds were the late edition to his creation. 

Either way, poutine is a messy (“poutine” is slang for “mess” in Quebecois French) and tasty comfort food now eaten throughout Canada.

Often served with soup, kaspressknödel is a dumpling made out of potato, cheese, milk, eggs, onion, and cubed bread pieces. After mixing all of those ingredients together, one fries the resulting dough for a traditional Austrian treat. 

Kaspressknöedel is linked to the Austrian region of Tyrol, located in the Alps. Authentic kaspressknöedel includes graukäse, a smelly and bold cheese that is also low in fat.